I’ve been averaging five or six Walt Disney World visits each year for the past five years. And mostly what I do when I’m at Walt Disney World is eat, no joke.

I am intimately familiar with the ins and out of Disney World dining and can recite the menus of some of my favorite restaurants by heart. Hey, it’s a skill that may come in handy some day.

But I recently found myself in unfamiliar Disney dining territory while on a brief visit to Disneyland in California. I had been there only once before, many (many, many, many) years ago. With just two days on my own, I decided to experience the parks like the newbie that I am, without a plan or preparation. Well, I did ask Disney Food Blog fearless leader AJ for a wee bit of advice, but I’ll get to that later.

So, without further ado, here, in no particular order, are my Walt Disney World foodie veteran observations about the dining situation at Disneyland.

Churros are everywhere.

While of course you can find churros at Walt Disney World, there are usually only a few locations at each park that sell them.

At Disneyland, everywhere I turned there was a churro sales stand or someone walking along nibbling on a churro.

A Barvarian cream churro at Disneyland.

I want an umbrella too!

I am all about the Dole Whip Float at Walt Disney World. But guess what, at Disneyland, they serve this nectar with maraschino cherries and a little paper umbrella.

I feel robbed. I think Disney owes me at least three or four bottles of cherries that I’ve missed out on over the years.

Such a pretty Dole Whip Float at Disneyland.

3-D ice cream menus rock.

Instead of printed menu signage at the ice cream carts, Disneyland has 3-D plastic models of the ice cream at their carts. For some reason this made me want a Mickey bar even more than [Read more…]

Cheers to food and beverage news from Gaston’s Tavern (finally)! With the announcement of the signature brew and those gooey cinnamon rolls, I’m looking forward to stopping by with friends. Care to join me?!

LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern

Disney Food News

Read on for yummy restaurant and food news from Disney!

Disney will release new collector’s pins with the opening of Be our Guest Restaurant and Gaston’s Tavern!

Gaston’s Tavern at the Magic Kingdom will offer the non-alcoholic LeFou’s Brew along with signature cinnamon rolls!

DFB Podcast Episode 8 and 9 Now Available

We’re pleased to announce that the eighth and ninth episodes of our podcast have been released! In these episodes we’re chatting about Best Breakfasts in Disney, and the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

It’s been a while since we had a new cupcake for you, but this one’s a doozey!! (Is that how you spell “doozey?”)

You remember the White Chocolate Elephant cupcake and the Zebra cupcake, right? Well, joining its furry friends is the new Cottontop Tamarin cupcake at Kusafiri Bakery near Kilimanjaro Safaris in Harambe Village! You can also find this sweet treat at the Coffee Kiosk at the entrance to Discovery Island.

So, corn dogs are pretty awesome. And corn dog nuggets — those little mini corn dogs that are bite sized and just perfect for snacking — are seen by many as a good thing made better.

Casey’s Corner Corn Dog Nuggets

The corn dog nuggets that many of us are familiar with can be found at Casey’s Corner in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom:

Casey's Corner Corn Dog Nuggets

These are great! Mini hot dogs encased in a thick cornbread coating, they’re the perfect treat to snack on while you’re watching the parade come down Main Street, USA, or while you’re waiting to see the fireworks show above the castle… . You can pair them with mustard, plastic cheese, barbecue sauce, ketchup — the condiments list is endless, and for those who consider condiments a food group (like I do), it’s a dream come true!

Start your Disney Vacation with a bang! We’re excited to announce a new WDW Foodie Fest event that will take place in Epcot on the evening of October 4th, 2011! Join me and other Disney Food Blog readers for an evening of…

Fun, Food, and Fireworks!

The Snack Attack, Featuring DFB Favorites, is an event like none other! On October 4th, our guests will arrive at a private Illluminations Fireworks viewing location in Epcot (psst…it’ll be in the UK pavilion!) and get down to business — the business of eating, that is!

This dessert party doesn’t just offer a few generic cannoli and brownies. No sir. We’ve worked with Disney to provide a menu that will excite even the biggest Disney food fan! The menu of the evening will include a buffet of…

But that’s not all!! Once you’ve had your fill, relax and enjoy a fabulous view of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, Epcot’s outstanding fireworks spectacular, from our private viewing area! That’s right — no jostling for the best view, no saving seats. You’ve already got a great view, so just sit back and take it all in.

Illuminations, Reflections of Earth

Cost for this event will be $40 per person. Tickets will be limited! Ticket information will be announced soon on the Disney Food Blog Newsletter, our WDWFoodieFest.com website, and right here on the Disney Food Blog, so stay tuned.

At long last, Coral Reef is finally getting its due on the Disney Food Blog! The last time I visited this restaurant was when I was much, much younger, so I knew it was time to give it a try again. It’s been through a lot of changes, but, from what I can tell, the basics are still the same…

Atmosphere

Coral Reef is one of only a couple of table-service restaurants located in Epcot’s Future World. You’ll find it hidden in the Seas With Nemo and Friends (The Living Seas for those who used to visit in the 80s), tucked back in the right-hand corner. You really need to want to find it; you won’t just stumble over this restaurant by mistake! But after all these years, the sign is still very similar to what it was way back when, so those who have a tinge of Epcot nostalgia like me will be very pleased…

Upon entering the restaurant (using the seahorse door handle of course), you’ll find that the place is themed — as it should be — but in a very stylized manner. Walls and flooring are undulating as if you’re under water. Light fixtures resemble coral and shells. Glass fish sculptures sit inside lit alcoves behind the [Read more…]

Welcome to Jenn Lazzaro (whom you’ve seen here before by way of her gorgeous photos), who’s treating us to her review of the brand new Jiko Wine Tasting happening on Wednesdays at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Take it away, Jenn!

When I first heard that Jiko was starting up wine pairing Wednesday afternoons, I immediately grabbed a calendar to see if any of them coincided with trip in May. Sure enough, one did! Jiko is hands down one of my top two favorite restaurants on Disney property (the other is Citricos), so I couldn’t make a reservation quick enough.

Booking and Background

With one of the finest collections of South African wines in the U.S., sommeliers at Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge love sharing tastes. Each Wednesday from 3-4 p.m., take a journey through the wine regions of South Africa and sample three delicious vintages paired with cheese and fruit. Cost is $25 plus tax and gratuity, and reservations can be made at 407-WDW-DINE.

Before even asking my other friends if they wanted to join me, I immediately called the Jiko reservation line that was given and left a message with my information that was requested. Within a few hours, I had a confirmation email from one of the Cast Members of Jiko confirming my reservation and letting me know that I can add guests with just a simple email back to her.

After all was said and done, there were 4 of us wanting to attend the wine pairing. We arrived at Jiko a little early and they were still setting up, so we wandered for a bit. After seeing other guests waiting by the bar area, we wandered back and hung out with the crowd.

Atmosphere and Tasting

The sommelier came around to each group to check us in. We were then ushered into the main dining room of Jiko where we all took our seats around a single long table, which sat around 16 or 18 people. The wines were already placed at each seat on top of a place mat that listed the name of each wine sample. As guests started to greet and meet each other, the cheeses were quickly laid in center of the table.

Tasting Wines

I’d wanted to take photos of everything before we were told we could start eating but, unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough. One of the Jiko chefs came to our table to explain the cheeses that we would be having [Read more…]